Winded
by badly-knitted
Summary: Sometimes the most dangerous aspect of police work is making the arrest. Set after the manga, and written for Prompt #455: Breathless at slashthedrabble. This is the long version of the ficlet posted to the community.


**Title:** Winded

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Dee, Ryo, OMC.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Setting:** After the manga.

 **Summary:** Sometimes the most dangerous aspect of police work is making the arrest.

 **Word Count:** 951

 **Written For:** Prompt # 455: Breathless at slashthedrabble.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

 **A/N:** This is the longer version of the ficlet I posted to the community.

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Dee was down and not moving. The perp had resisted arrest, a situation cops faced far more frequently than they'd like, and in the ensuing battle something had happened. Ryo didn't know what, but he intended to find out, just as soon as he had the bastard responsible under control.

That was easier said than done. The guy was tall and lanky, all knees and elbows, and in his panic he was flailing in every direction. For several minutes, despite his martial arts and self-defence training, it was all Ryo could do to avoid being put out of action himself. Finally though, training overcame the lack thereof, and a quick hook with a foot around the perp's weight-bearing ankle took him down hard, leaving him sprawled on the sidewalk, all the fight gone out of him. After that, cuffing his arms behind his back was easy. Breathing hard, Ryo focussed on reading the guy his rights; despite his concern for Dee, he still had to follow procedure otherwise the charges might not stick.

By the time Ryo could turn his attention to his injured partner, Dee was levering himself slowly and painfully to his feet. Ryo wanted to rush over to him, make sure he was okay, but now wasn't the time, not when he had his hands full with someone who posed a definite flight risk judging by how hard he'd tried to get away. Didn't mean he couldn't at least ask though.

"You okay, Dee?" He sent a worried look his partner's way.

"I'll live," Dee wheezed in reply, wincing. "Damned idiot kneed me in the nuts; knocked the breath right outta me."

Ryo's eyes almost started watering in sympathy; he knew only too well what that felt like, having been on the receiving end a time or two himself. "Ouch!"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dee hissed through gritted teeth, waiting for the throbbing caused by getting up to subside to a bearable level. "Woulda been a whole lot worse if that's where he'd been aimin'," he added ruefully, as he limped over to join his partner and helped to haul their captive to his feet.

"I think maybe I'd better drive," Ryo decided, taking in the awkward way Dee was holding himself. "Give you a chance to get your breath back."

"Yeah, might be a good idea. Thanks, bud." Dee handed over the car keys without the faintest hint of argument. "Be thankful I'm not a vengeful kinda guy," he told the perp, shoving him into the back seat of the car and making sure he didn't bump his head in the process. "Otherwise I could make things seriously uncomfortable for ya."

As Ryo got behind the wheel, Dee went around to the other side of the car and climbed in the back to keep a close eye on their prisoner, just in case he tried to get away again, although it looked like the guy was too demoralised now to give them any more trouble. That suited Dee just fine; even sitting down was painful, and as for the potholes along the street… Safe to say the drive to central booking was one of the most uncomfortable he'd ever experienced.

By the time he and Ryo reached the end of their shift, Dee was still feeling bruised and tender, but could at least walk more or less normally instead of looking like a cowboy who'd mislaid his horse. Nevertheless, he was beyond glad the workday was over so he could go home and take it easy. The first thing he did when he got inside his apartment was to slip into a pair of sweatpants, which were a whole lot looser and more comfortable to the abused portions of his anatomy than the tight jeans he'd been wearing.

He was just considering whether or not an ice pack might be a good idea when there was a loud knock on his door, and on answering it, he wasn't too surprised to find Ryo on his doorstep. He was always a welcome sight, regardless of circumstances.

"Hey, babe…"

That was all Dee had time to say before he found himself shoved bodily back into his living room as his lover surged through the door. Slamming it behind him, he kissed Dee into the middle of next week, leaving him short of breath for the second time that day, not to mention weak at the knees.

Pulling back slightly, but not releasing his grip on Dee, Ryo gasped out, "I was so scared earlier! Didn't know what had happened, and you were just lying there, not moving. Thought maybe he'd had a knife or something."

"Sorry babe, didn't mean to scare ya, but hey, I'm fine; I was just winded," Dee assured his lover.

"I know that now." Ryo reached up to cup Dee's face in one hand, before kissing him again, more gently this time. "It's just, if I lost you…"

"Never gonna happen," Dee said with his usual confident swagger.

"You don't know that." Ryo frowned at his partner, caught somewhere between worry, and annoyance that Dee wasn't taking him seriously.

"Sure I do. Got you watchin' my back, don't I? Not to mention I got Mother puttin' in a good word for me with the guy upstairs."

"Deeee!"

"Gotta say though, if anyone's gonna take my breath away, I'd far rather it be you."

This time it was Dee doing the kissing and Ryo who was left breathless and weak. Dee might not feel up to doing anything much, sore as he still was, but he'd never turn down an opportunity to kiss his baby. It was amazing how much better that made him feel.

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The End


End file.
